Batman's Mentors
One man can never protect mankind by himself. Only then do mentors and helpers come in to save the hero when he needs it for once. Through the use of helpers and mentors, Batman (Christian Bale) obsesively protects Gotham from the evil plans of The Joker (Heath Ledger) in order to show that one man can not be a true hero on his own. Without the help of Alfred (Michael Caine) , Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldham), or Mr. Fox (Morgan Freeman), Batman would never have been able to help all the innocent people of Gotham. The man behind the mask, Bruce Wayne , unfortunately lost both his parents as a child and his butler Alfred raised him. Alfred knew everything about Bruce and really wanted the best for him. That exactly is why he was so important in Bruce's role as Batman. Alfred could help Bruce with the behind the scenes details of Batman as well as giving him advice on certain things. He did not care about Batman, just Bruce. He took care of Bruce's physical injuries and his household needs. Although Alfred never contributed physically to Bruce's role as Batman, he became more of a spiritual guide to Bruce. Alfred would have done anything for Bruce and would have sacrificed his own life for Bruce as if he was his real son. He showed Bruce what true love looked and felt like while being by Bruce's side during every moment of his life (Alfred Pennyworth). Without Commissioner Gordon, Batman would be dead or in jail. Gordon, who stood between the law and Batman, knew that Batman just tried to do the right thing and didn't deserve to be arrested. Batman and Gordon worked together to catch the villians, but Gordon never had control of him. Batman worked outside the law but never tried to break it. In the movie, The Joker has Batman on the ground and about to stab him when all of a sudden Gordon steps in and arrests The Joker and saves Batman. After all the times Batman had saved people, he now became the one who needed help and Gordon was the hero (James Gordon). Mr. Fox acted as a very important to Batman's success. Mr. Fox worked as Bruce's employee who helped run Wayne Enterprises while Bruce worked being Batman. Mr. Fox worked also to secretly supply Batman with armor and new technology. Bruce had invested a bunch of trust into Mr. Fox and without him his company and Batman would crumble to pieces (Lucius Fox). Other Famous Mentors Obi-Wan Kenobi portrayed the famous Jedi Knight who acted as a mentor to Luke Skwalker as he learned to master the ways of the force. Obi-Wan took Luke under his wing and taught him essential things he would have to know in order to fulfill his destiny. Obi-Wan showed a perfect example of sacrifice in Episode IV: A New Hopewhen Obi-Wan encounters Darth Vader who he fights and is killed by in order for Luke to escape safely. Obi-Wan knew that his time had passed and Luke had a very important future so he sacrificed his life for Luke's. There is nothing more anyone could do than to sacrifice themselves for someone else (Obi-Wan Kenobi). When there are helpers for heroes, it shows the hero's weakness which adds a authentic feel to the characters and they are taken off their hero level and brought down to earth. Works Cited "Alfred Pennyworth." Web log post. Wikia. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2013. "James Gordon." Web log post. Wikia. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2013. "Lucius Fox." Web log post. Wikia. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2013. "Obi-Wan Kenobi." Web log post. Wikia. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2013.